Gille/Vliegen fall to Dodig/Krajicek at Roland-Garros
PARIS, France (June 10, 2023) – Sander Gille had an incredible run.
Becoming the first ETSU men’s tennis alum to represent the Buccaneers in a Grand Slam Final, Gille and doubles partner Joran Vliegen battled No. 4 seed Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek in the Roland-Garros French Open Men’s Doubles Championship on Saturday in Paris. Dodig and Krajicek won 6-3, 6-1 despite a tough challenge from Gille and Vliegen.
The Belgian Duo — comprised of an ETSU alum in Gille and an East Carolina alum in Vliegen — defeated four seeded teams en route to the French Open Men’s Doubles Championship despite being unseeded. Gille entered ranked No. 40 in doubles, while Vliegen ranked at No. 41. The two have been playing together since 2015 — just two years after Gille turned pro in 2013.
Meanwhile, Krajicek — a Texas A&M alum— entered as the fifth-ranked doubles player. Dodig, the most veteran player of the four at 38 years old, entered ranked eighth.
Battling potential weather in Paris, French Open officials elected to delay the match to close the retractable roof. After the short pause, the action began.
The two sides held serve seven times in a row to start the match, as Belgian duo Gille and Vliegen served second and kept pace early with two of the top 10 doubles players in the world —representing Croatia and the United States. Dodig and Krajicek broke serve to make it 5-3 and held serve in the next game to win the opening frame. Despite losing the first set, Gille and Vliegen landed a pair of aces.
The second set started with a long point, as both sides traded jabs before Gille and Vliegen finished off a long rally by holding serve on the 11th exchange. Dodig and Krajicek went on to win the final six points to end the bout. Dodig won his seventh Grand Slam title, while Krajicek earned his first.
The runners-up of the French Open Men’s Doubles Championship receive $307,116 in prize money. The winners receive $614,231.
Gille is coming off a championship run with Vliegen in the 2023 Estoril Open back in April. The duo were the No. 4 seed in the tournament and rattled off four wins to claim the title.
Gille helped guide ETSU to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 2009-12 and was a three-time first team all-ASUN selection. Gille was named ASUN Player of the Year and Tournament MVP in 2010. Gille finished his collegiate career with 72 wins in the Blue & Gold.
For more information on the 2023 French Open, please click here.
